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Join us on a journey through the rich tradition of performance poetry, set in Washington DC's famous and eclectic U Street corridor. Our program takes you from memories of the live poetry clubs that emerged there in the 1960's, through the D.C. riots that saw venues closing down and artists scattering to the West Coast, to the modern day renaissance of the spoken word tradition. Our story is narrated by performance poets M'wili Yaw Askari, Toni Ashanti Lightfoot and Matthew Payne.
The Spoken Word is a SOUNDPRINT Classic, produced by Thom Woodard and Eric Lewis with special thanks to Verna Avery Brown, Askia Muhammed, DJ Munch and the staff and performers of Bar Nun. Additional thanks to Jewel Johnson, Pappy Kymone Freeman and to "The Journey" by Fred Foss, for the performance excerpts. This program was funded in part by The National Endowment for the Arts.
Links:
Horizon Magazine
The Horizon magazine covers the D.C. revival of the corridor once known as "Black Broadway."
The Academy of American Poets
Find a poem, post a poem, or discuss a poem.
African American Poets
Explore the legacy, past and present, of African American poets and
poetry. Locate books and websites on the topic as well.
Books:
 The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes
by: Langston Hughes, Arnold Rampersad (Editor), David Roessel (Editor) 1995
This volume boasts 860 poems documenting four decades of African American life including 300 works that have never appeared in book form.
 Americans' Favorite Poems:
by: Robert Pinsky (Editor), Favorite Poem Project, Maggie Dietz (Editor) 1999
This collection features intimate perspectives on several hundred poems
selected by ordinary Americans. Each poem is accompanied by personal
notes from the individual that chose it as their favorite work.
 Listen UP! Spoken Word Poetry:
by: Zoe Angelsey, Foreword by Yusef Komunyakaa 1999
Explore the cross-cultural phenomenon of spoken word poetry from the
nation's top artists who electrify audiences as they chant, sing,
recite, and improvise their poetry and powerful point of view. Behind
the scenes photographs and anecdotes included.
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